Shattered Bond
by LawrVert
Summary: In his exile, the last Jedi waits and remembers. Father/daughter fic assuming that Rey is Luke's daughter.
1. Chapter 1

Author's Note: Thank you so much to my wonderful beta readers, Eriathalia and Purple Shamrock 17! All Chapters have been edited and there will be a new update by the end of the day. This story is completely AU (at least going by JJ Abrams' latest comments), but I hope you enjoy it anyway. Thank you for reading and reviewing!

He already loved her when she was no more than a delicate presence and a fluttering heart that he fretted over, spoke to, and dreamed about. At first, he had been filled with anxiety and fear. How could he dare to bring an innocent life into the world that would be in danger simply because she was _his_ daugher? How could he, who had only known a parent's love in the last moments of _his_ own father's life hope to give this child all she needed and deserved? And wasn't he too old for this? Often, he would lie awake long after his wife,Kira, had fallen asleep and wonder what his child would think of him, what she would look like, whether her eyes would be blue or hazel. Each night, he would go to sleep and dream of her. Perhaps they were visions of the future or just the naive hopes of a man who never thought he would be a father. Every morning, his first thoughts were of her as he watched his wife sleeping and tried to sense the presence that grew stronger every day, sending her waves of love, comfort, and warmth.

One day, that fragile presence spoke to him. Not in words, but in a primitive flood of emotions, colors, and sensations. At first, he drew back and gasped, overwhelmed. She watched him, bemused and ran her hands and ran her hands through his hair when he rested his head on her belly, lifting it only long enough to whisper with an expression of wonder on his face, "She talked to me."

They talked about naming her after Leia, Shara Bey, or possibly a member of her mother's family. Ultimately, they decided that she should have a name that was her own, free of any burdens or expectations. He had been delighted when Kira felt the first kick and hurriedly pressed his hand to her stomach. The small movement caused his wide, blue eyes to fill with tears. "She's so strong. Like her mother."

"And her father," she answered, thumb tracing his cheekbone.

Luke smiled, looking every bit the farm boy from long ago at the he kissed her and drew her close to his side.

They had argued a little about whether it was safe for her to grow up at the Academy, about her mother continuing to be a pilot. She zipped her flight suit up that day and growled in frustration. "I'm huge."

He had come up behind her, wrapped his arms around her, and kissed the side of her neck. "No, you're not. You're beautiful."

She shook her head and replied, "I practically have my own gravitational pull."

He laughed. "No, you don't." A long pause followed in which he tried not to look guilty before voicing his next thought. "I worry about you flying missions."

She sighed in exasperation as she retrieved her flight helmet. "Dr. Kalonia said it's perfectly safe for me to fly until the end of the second trimester." Her next words stopped any objections. "Besides, she likes it." The kick he felt when he placed his hand on Kira's belly seemed to support her mother's words.

The birth had been typical. Like most fathers to be, Luke had simultaneously panicked and told his wife everything would be fine. He held her hand even when he could feel the joints of his prosthetic creaking in protest at her crushing grip. He thought he recalled later that she had threatened to kill him in more than one language.

"Don't tell me to breathe, Skywalker! You got me into this situation!" Her long, sweat-soaked brown hair curtained her face as she had experienced a strong contraction, and she shook him off when he had attempted to brush it back. He imagined if Han and Leia had been there, they would have laughed.

Through the Force, he had monitored the baby despite Dr. Kalonia and a Jedi healer telling him all vitals were normal. He had whispered words of love and encouragement, and he had used the Force to ease his wife's pain, even though Dr. Kalonia had threatened to have him thrown out of the delivery ward for interfering with sound medicine. Only after hearing that first cry, did he relax. Suddenly, there she was: beautiful and perfect and.. _his_. He had been terrified to hold her the first time, but soon, he crawled into the hospital bed beside her mother and held both of them close. He was determined that he would give everything he had-his life if it was required-to protect them. Careful not to wake the sleeping infant, he kissed her forehead and for the first time, he thought he finally understood his father's sacrifice.

They chose the name Rey, not realizing that their child would be just as beautiful and have a presence just as warm and bright as a ray of sunlight. The time passed far too quickly. Though he continued to teach at the Academy, he started to take more time off to avoid missing all of the small moments in her life. While she was far too young to train, Rey had already shown an awareness of the Force, and so he had taught her through play. Games of hide and seek in which she found him around the house taught her how to stretch out her senses and had strengthened their Force bond. When she found him, she would run to him and nearly knock him over. The toddler would hold up her arms for him to lift her up and he carried her on his shoulders, holding her small hands in his own.

When Rey was four, Kira had caught her watching the other students training with lightsabers and imitating their movements. They disagreed about her training later than night as Luke poured over tactical reports as he paced the floor and Kira scanned her navigational charts in bed. Luke thought she should begin to learn to use a lightsaber while Kira argued it was far too dangerous.

"She needs to learn to defend herself. There is a great disturbance in the Force. The loyalist factions and splinter groups are starting to become more organized, more dangerous and unwilling to negotiate. If there is an attack she needs to be prepared. " He turned to face her with a pained expression, reliving memories of his recent nightmares.

"She's four, Luke," Kira got out of bed and faced him with crossed arms. "She needs to be a child while she can."

"Jedi in the Old Republic started training as young as two or three. Besides, have you seen her? She's already demonstrated talent for it."

Kira rubbed her eyes and her tone softened. "I know. I just don't want her getting hurt."

"I promise I won't let that happen."

Luke crossed to her and squeezed her shoulder. "I have an idea."

He started training her with wooden sticks, not letting her get injured or too tired in the process. The child moved with a grace and strength beyond her years and in a few months, Luke decided to give her a fighting staff. She thought it was the best gift she had ever received. When she fell during training and scraped her knee, he had healed the injury then kissed it. After that, she soon got up and knocked him over with a surprise attack, filling him with pride.

He taught her to read navigational charts and flight manuals while other children her age were reading about lost banthas or stubborn spaceships. Kira took her flying whenever missions did not keep her away. Both Kira and Luke favored doing their own repairs on their ships, and Rey sat beside them for hours, content to study the inner workings of the fighter and hand them tools.

Luke remembered a certain day when he was trying to help Kira. "Now, which one was it Mommy said she needed?" His hand stretched out, hovering over the tools.

"No. Not that one, Daddy." She had looked at him with a frustrated expression that was nearly identical to her mother's.

He chuckled. "Ah, yes. Of course. This one." Picking up the bonding tape, he disappeared for a moment down an access hatch to hand the tool to Kira, who was intently focused on the hyperdrive.

"Thanks, Luke." She took it from him and started using it to secure loose wires.

They looked up to see Rey's small face staring down at them. "Mommy, can I come down with you?"

"I don't know. It's pretty boring down here." Kira wiped a smudge of grease from her forehead.

"Please? I like it." Luke looked at his daughter's pouting lip and then at Kira.

"Alright." Kira stood and lifted her down into the access hatch and sat her in her lap, explaining along with Luke how each of the parts worked.

Though she didn't grow up with children's stories, she was raised on the stories of Luke, Leia and Han's adventures and her mother's stories of her flight missions. Luke modified the stories, always minimizing his own importance and tended to stick to the more child-friendly topics like rescuing Princess Leia, meeting the Ewoks, or finding the droids on Tatooine. He promised himself he would tell her the truth about their family-both the light and the dark-but there would be time for that later.

Rey brought joy into the lives of her parents and everyone she knew. The most reluctant, shy or homesick students would see her smile and feel better. She trusted everyone and kept no secrets from anyone. Even Ben, Han and Leia's boy, who was usually sullen and silent, had taken a liking to her. Rey was the one person who had made _him_ smile. Kira worried about the friendship, but Luke thought it was good for Ben. He had watched their first meeting with apprehension. Rey was about four and had left Luke's side, deciding that the conversation about political factions was boring. She was drawn to movement a short distance away where a tall, dark-haired boy sat brooding with a circle of small stones hovering around his head. The boy's eyes were closed and his hands rested on crossed legs.

"Hi...I'm Rey," the little girl said with a broad smile, not intimidated by the older boy. "

Ben had opened his eyes and looked at her as someone might look at an insect. "Hello," he replied disdainfully.

"Are you my cousin?" There is excitement in her voice as she realizes who this boy is from her father's stories about his talent.

He huffed in annoyance. "Yes."

"What are you doing?" She studied the rocks with a smile.

"I'm using the force..." He replied as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Oh...my daddy can do that too."

He looked at her in annoyance. "I know that. Everyone knows that. I can lift much larger ones. Want to see?"

"Yeah!" She knelt down beside him.

He closed his eyes and concentrated, moving another few stones over. These were as large as a man's head. He arranged them, one by one, into a tower.

"Wow!" She was wide-eyed and silent for a moment.

"Do you like it?" He stared at her, waiting for her response.

"Yes! It's like a little castle." She laughed in delight.

"Well, perhaps it is. A castle for a princess." He smiled, a bright and rare smile.

She scrunched up her brow at that. "I'm not a princess!"

"You're not?" Ben looked at her with mock seriousness now. "You look like a princess."

By the end of the day, Rey had somehow convinced Ben to carry her on his shoulders. Over time, the friendship grew with Ben always using his powers to do little tricks to amuse Rey and talking to her about his training. Until Ben began spending more time alone, withdrawing even more, and disappearing for days to weeks at a time.

When Luke was putting Rey to bed one night, exhausted from negotiations in a neighboring sector, she suddenly asked him. "Daddy, why does Ben ask so many questions?"

His eyes narrowed. "What do you mean, sweetheart?"

"He asked me a lot about when you were going away and about the guards and the access panels too, but I didn't know very much. They were silly questions."

"Rey," Luke was becoming alarmed but didn't want to frighten her, "what else did he ask you?"

"No more questions." She yawned and her eyes grew heavy only to snap open again when she felt her father's worry."Why do you look so sad, daddy."

The Jedi forced a smile and tucked her in, bending to press a kiss to her forehead. "I'm not sad. How could I ever be sad when I have you."

Shortly after that night, Ben disappeared and was rumored to have been abducted by the newly unified First Order. When they told Rey, she cried herself to sleep.

He locked the memories away, tried not to think of them. Remembering is like looking into the incandescence of a star going supernova, it burns his heart. His wife, his daughter, and all his apprentices are long dead. Nothing can bring them back. Yet somehow he lives on, forced to feel the pain of old wounds that can never heal being torn open anew. When Luke first arrived, he thought he might die. Weakened, injured and exhausted, he had carried his wife's body from the ship and buried her on a high craggy bluff overlooking the ocean. Every day, he visits the spot, and he will never stop visiting this place until the day he dies. In the first days, he thought about how easy it would be to give up. It would mean an end to the pain, the memories, the crushing knowledge of his failure; but he is still a Jedi, the last Jedi, and if he dies without passing on his knowledge, then there is no hope for the future.

This place is harsh and exposed to the elements. The Jedi faced death more than once. While climbing a high cliff, he fell and his damaged artificial hand, scrabbling for purchase on the rock. Able to slow but not stop his fall, Luke was felt a bone snap in his leg. Lying there, he fought through the blinding pain and for a moment, he contemplated giving up. Then, he remembered his promise to Yoda to pass on what he learned, and the time Obi-Wan spent watching over him and waiting to train him. He clenched his jaw against the agony and shifted positions, using the Force to help him get to his feet and vault on one leg to the solid ground of the clearing. He healed himself at a pace that was perhaps slower than necessary as the physical pain became a welcome distraction from the pain of his memories.

At first, he had kept track of the days in exile, scratching marks on a rock. He gave up as one year passed and then five...and after that, he doesn't know. Time has become unimportant as every day is the same: he meditates, eats fish from the ocean and vegetables since the last of the rations salvaged from his damaged ship ran out long ago. Then, a period of daily conditioning follows, although with each year, he feels his strength diminishing. Nightmares of the fall of the temple plague him, but the pleasant dreams of Kira and Rey are almost worse. He sees them, or at least how she they would have looked now if they had survived. Kira is still beautiful, dark hair starting to grey just a little at the temples, Rey is tall and beautiful as her mother and almost a grown woman now. When he wakes from the dreams, he is either screaming or weeping.

He has not heard a voice or felt the touch of a hand in years. Despite the crushing loneliness of the desolate place, he is uncertain if he could ever live among people again. Perhaps after his failures, he is unfit. His artificial hand, evidence of another failure long ago, is now corroded and stripped of its synthflesh yet he sees no point in concealing it. The joints are stiff and freeze up at times, causing him pain at the attachment site, but at least it is still functioning. The degradation of the artificial limb is fitting; it mirrors the degradation of his mind. The crumbling ruin in which he lives is a fitting symbol of a ruined and broken life. This fragile, unstable temple, and the more fragile man within it, are all that remains of the Jedi. And he is too old and too broken to start again.

He climbs the hill and looks out over the ocean, stretching with the Force and extending his vision to the far corners of the galaxy. He searches. For what he isn't sure. He is cautious, as he knows it could be far too easy to find a dark presence like the one who betrayed him, and if that evil finds him, then all is lost.

He feels the strange yet familiar being before he turns to see her coming up the hill. At first, he expects that the First Order has found him or sent an assassin or bounty hunter, but the young woman is full of light. And as he turns, he _knows_. He would recognize the brilliant warmth of her presence anywhere. He throws back the hood and looks at her, paralyzed for a moment. Emotions of love, regret, joy and despair warring in his eyes. His jaw works soundlessly and he struggles to remember how to speak as she holds out his father's lightsaber to him and waits. The look in her eyes reveals she already knows the truth.


	2. Chapter 2

There is so much he wants to say to her, to ask, but he cannot seem to remember how to speak. She is here-real and alive-but this is wrong. She was just a child he could carry in his arms. The young woman who stands before him is tall and beautiful, dark hair and hazel eyes so much like her mother's. Neither one is able to move for a long time, and both have tears in their eyes. When he finally manages to speak, his voice is throaty and weak from disuse and emotion, and the question comes out cold and more abrupt than he means it to. "Who are you?"

She takes a deep breath, hurt in her eyes, shoulders slumped. He imagines his response must seem like rejection. "My name is Rey. I was sent by General Organa to find you. She wanted me to give you the lightsaber."

"My father's lightsaber. Tell me, child, how did you come by this?" His eyes shimmer with memories and deep pain as he accepts the weapon.

"I found it in a trunk in Maz Kanata's Castle. It sounds strange, but..it called to me."

She squares her shoulders back, unsure how to behave in his presence, and tries to master the trembling in her limbs. Luke watches her, and senses that the young woman before him is torn between raging at him and enfolding him in a crushing embrace. He tries to send her calming waves of love and reassurance, but her mind is reeling, her thoughts conflicted.

"Do you know why this weapon called to you?" He is suddenly terribly conscious of his disheveled appearance, his disintegrating artificial hand, and the ruin in which he lives. How can she feel anything but anger and disgust looking at this broken hermit?

"Yes." She closes her eyes, trying to contain the emotions battling within her. I feel her anger, hurt, betrayal, but beneath it all, there is still love, primal and raw. An edge of anger enters her voice. "Why did you leave me there in that wasteland? Was I nothing but a burden, something to be discarded to you?" Her fists clench and unclench at the words.

"I didn't know you were alive. I searched the galaxy every night for you. I tried to contact you in my dreams." He can still feel her radiating hurt at being abandoned, still see the betrayal in her watery gaze, and it tears at his heart. He raises his hands, a plea perhaps for her to understand that he never wanted this. He wanted to give her all he never had but his chance to be the father she deserved and needed was ripped away.

"I dreamed of this place so many nights." She moves away from him, stares out over the ocean with arms crossed over her chest. "I waited so long for you to come back and find me. I counted the days, but you never did." She turns back to him, eyes flashing with anger and pain. "I _needed_ you!"

The old Jedi approaches her, longing to pull her into an embrace, but not wanting to drive her away. "My ship was badly damaged when I arrived here. I salvaged what I could from the wreckage, but it will never fly again."

"So, you were stranded here? I thought for a long time that there was something wrong with me, that you didn't want me." She sniffs and rubs tears away with the back of her sleeve.

"No...I love you more than anything. I can't replace the lost years, but if you would grant me a second chance…" His voice breaks and he lowers his head. How can he deserve this?

Suddenly, he is almost knocked over by the force of her embrace as she clings to him, her hands grasping the front of his robes, breathing his scent which is somehow familiar and comforting. "You smell like home." A wave of emotion crests over him, through their bond and enveloping him in love, warmth and regret. The feelings are so beautiful they're almost white hot in intensity.

He strokes the back of her hair and holds her tightly, worrying that this is a dream, a cruel deception that will fade or a delusion of his fragmented mind. "I promise I won't leave you again."

She holds on to him for a long time. "Will you come back with me? Can we try to be a family again?"

"I will, but there is much to do before I can return. Come with me." He takes her hand and leads her into the area of the old temple he uses for a living space. The walls are bare except for a few tools and hanging herbs, and the room has only a fire pit for light and heat. There is a stone table and a couple of larger stones serving as chairs.

"Have you lived here all this time?" Rey takes in the primitive conditions and he can hear the shock in her voice.

"I have, but this place is very special and I have all I need here." His back is turned for a moment as he sets a kettle over the fire on a rusted hook and starts preparing food for both of them.

"But you've been alone all these years?" The compassion in her tone is unexpected and undeserved.

He sets a plate of hot fish and some sort of green vegetable in front of her. There is a slight hesitation in his voice. "Yes. But a Jedi is never truly alone with the Force as his ally."

She stares at the plate with wide eyes, and he gives her a worried, apologetic look. "I thought you might be hungry after your journey. I'm afraid I don't have much to offer." He gives her a shy, self-deprecatory smile.

"I haven't had food that wasn't rehydrated in a long time. But..it's so much. Is all of this for me?"

"Of course. There's plenty." He sips his tea and watches as she devours the fish and vegetables as if it's the best thing she's eaten in weeks and hopes his suspicions aren't true. Wordlessly, he fills her plate again, quickly averting his eyes to hide his sorrow.

Rey finishes a second and then a third plate. "That was wonderful. Thank you."

Luke can't help but feel a crushing wave of guilt and anger that his innocent daughter grew up without having enough to eat. Without her noticing, he had slipped her the food from his own plate as well. He vowed that she would never be hungry, never suffer or be hurt by anyone from this point on.

He wants to know every detail of all of the missing years, but he knows their bond is tenuous, new, and he doesn't want to do anything to break the fragile trust that is slowly developing.

"I know you must have so many questions, Rey. I will answer anything honestly."

"I do, but I don't know where to start. The thing I've dreamed of my whole life finally happened, and I have no idea what to say. I can't believe you're real." She reaches across the table tentatively and he takes her hand in his own flesh hand.

"I understand." He smiles warmly, and she returns it with a smile that could light up the whole galaxy, her mother's smile. "Would you tell me about your life. Where you grew up?"

"There isn't much to tell." She shrugs. "I've only ever done one thing. I was a scavenger on a desert planet, Jakku. It's pretty rough there. You have to know how to defend yourself, how to bargain, how to make things last." There's a hint of pride in her voice.

"Who took care of you? You were so young." His voice threatens to break under the weight of guilt he carries. He clears the table, leans on a stone ledge for a moment to bring his emotions under control.

"Unkar Plott gave me a job and taught me how to be a scavenger and..there was an old man that taught me a few things. Mostly, I learned what I needed to know on my own. On Jakku if you don't learn fast, you starve." She shrugs. "It wasn't so bad. I got to spend as much time as I wanted in ships. Even if I might never get to fly most of them, I learned all of their secrets, their quirks." She smiles again.

"Do you like to fly? I had a dream, a vision maybe about you piloting a ship."

Her face lights up at the question. "I'd never left the planet's atmosphere before the day I did that. I love to fly. I feel..free..alive when I fly."

The old Jedi's eyes grow misty with a bittersweet memory. "Your mother said the same thing. She was an amazing pilot and I loved her very much. You have her natural affinity for flying."

Rey sits up in her chair. "How-? How did she die?" The look on her face seems to ask _Why didn't you protect her-protect us?_

He has never hated himself as much as he does in this moment for his failure to protect his students, his family, for allowing all he had fought to hard to rebuild be lost. "One of my apprentices, a young, bright boy with amazing potential turned against me. He led a raid on the temple in the middle of the night when he knew I was on a mission. He and his knights bombed the temple, killed every apprentice. Your mother was gravely injured. She..she didn't make it to the island though I tried to save her." He lets out a choked sob. "I begged her to hold on, but it was too late. _I_ was too late. I buried her on this island." A tear rolls down his cheek.

The young woman winces as she is almost knocked over by the surge of agony she feels from her father. Wanting to soothe his pain, Rey moves to sit beside him, hugging him tightly. "It was Kylo Ren, wasn't it?"

"How did you know?" He shuts his eyes, willing himself to be calm.

There are tears in her eyes too now. "I saw him in a vision. I didn't understand what I was seeing until now." She leans her head against his shoulder, seeking the feeling she was missing her entire life. He feels compassion and love radiating from her. After all he has lost, all he has failed to do, she can forgive him, can still love him.

She picks up the thought, unaware that he he hasn't spoken it aloud. "Of course I can. You're my father." They stay there a while, until he sees his daughter yawning. He leads her to the room he uses for a bedroom. He insists that she sleep in his bed, then he goes outside to sleep under the stars, drawing his cloak around him for warmth. He checks on her in the night, tugs the covers up around her. Then, he returns outside and curls up close to Kira's grave marker. Before he falls asleep, he whispers. "Our daughter is home, Kira."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 2

He is screaming, writhing. face contorted in agony when he feels a hand, smaller than his own shaking his shoulder. Instinctively, he recoils from it until his vision clears, and he sees his daughter's frightened and concerned face. "Luke-Father. It's all right. You were having a nightmare." She offers her hand and helps him to his feet.

"I'm sorry if I woke you." He doesn't meet her eyes. "I'll make us some tea." She follows him into the makeshift kitchen, sits down while he starts to heat water and steeps leaves from an old battered fuel container. It reminds her of her home on Jakku, everything recycled and cobbled together. She can tell that just like her, he's used to living with very little and putting everything to use.

"I'm used to waking up early for work anyway. I don't sleep very well most nights." She stares into the warm cup he hands her. "I have nightmares too or maybe they're visions. I don't know."

"With time, you'll learn how to tell the difference, but visions are deceptive. I've made some terrible mistakes in my life chasing after images in visions." The fingers of his prosthetic twitch, curling inward towards his fist. He catches Rey watching his movements and subconsciously tugs the sleeve down over the juncture of flesh and machine.

"How did you get that?" She studies the plastic and metal, listens to the faint motion of the servos and gears, wonders if the now-outdated technology causes him pain.

"I rushed to face Darth Vader before I was fully-trained. I was angry, brash, seeking revenge. I was lucky to survive at all."

"Why don't you replace it? You could have a new hand with synthetic flesh," she says.

He raises the hand, contemplates the stiff joints, flexes the fingers with audible whirrs and clicks. "Like me, it's a relic from another time. And...it serves as a reminder of how close I once came to falling to the Dark Side."

She leans forward, extending her hand. "May I?"

Though his eyes dart like those of a caged beast, he extends his hand, palm up and allows her to push back his sleeve. She examines the connection point and the joints. "Some of the servos are corroded and it's placing excess strain on the wrist. It must hurt you."

He shrugs. "Just a dull ache in the wrist in bad weather."

She regards his hand as she would any machine. A series of parts in a complicated puzzle, all functioning together. "I think I can make a few adjustments so the joints don't freeze up as much and improve your range of motion."

"You don't have to do this, Rey." He starts to withdraw his hand, but she holds it firmly in place.

"It will only take me a few minutes. I can fix almost anything." She smiles and takes a series of tools from the pouch on her belt. "Let me know if anything hurts."

He averts his eyes. "I can't feel anything anymore below the wrist." She raises her eyes for a moment, then goes back to her work, feeling his shame.

After a few adjustments, she sets her tools down. "There. How does that feel?"

He raises his hand, rubs the wrist and flexes the digits one by one. "Better. Thank you."

She catches his artificial hand and squeezes it, but the gesture fills him with regret and sadness that washes over their bond. Sensing his strong emotions, she extends her other hand, takes his warm human hand in her own and squeezes it tightly.

"How did you learn to do that?" He asks.

"I've always been good with machines. This is the first time I've ever fixed one of these, though." She smiles shyly.

"That's something that seems to run in our family. I had a beat up old Skyhopper I used to fly back home on Tatooine when I was about your age. I spent most of my free time repairing it. "

"Really? Isn't Tatooine a desert planet like Jakku?"

"Yes. I had hoped you would get to grow up somewhere different. Somewhere green." His eyes have a faraway look for a moment as he can almost hear the old craft's engine straining and feel the wind whipping through his hair as he flies through the section of Beggar's Canyon known as "the Needle".

She watches him, then shakes him from his musings with her question. "Will you tell me about it?"

He nods and then says. "My aunt and uncle raised me. We didn't have much, but they did the best they could. They were moisture farmers."

She notices the way his expression darkens as he furrows his brow. "What happened to them?"

He takes a deep breath, gets up from where he is seated and rifles through cabinets in a somewhat distracted and purposeless manner. "The Empire came looking for a droid. I was away from home when they tracked it to the farm. When I came back...there was nothing left."

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bring up painful memories."

He turns back to face her. "It's all right. This was long ago. It was because of that droid that I met my first Jedi master, Obi-Wan Kenobi. I would probably never have become a Jedi without him. And he led me to Han, Leia, and Chewie." He smiles, a smile filled with regret.

"The General needs you. Han Solo is dead." For a moment, she is stunned by how abruptly the words tumble from her lips.

"I know. I felt his passing." He closes his eyes, remembers the pain shooting through his chest, followed by the absolute darkness in the part of his mind where he felt Han's presence. "He was a good man and one of my best friends."

His daughter studies him a moment. "I'm glad I got to meet him...before..."

"So...you were with him when it happened?"

"I was there when Kylo Ren killed him." She shuts her eyes as tears begin to stream down her cheeks.

Luke lowers his head. "I wanted to believe he could return to the light. That there was still the same bright boy I taught somewhere inside him."

When she manages to reply, her fists are clenched and her voice is coarse with anger and hatred. "He's a monster."

"He is a man who has lost his way," Luke says. "Once, he was one of my brightest pupils. I had never seen such potential, such power. There was a time when he was like a son to me...when I carried him in my arms, held him on my shoulders."

"Then, he betrayed you. Why didn't you stay and fight rather than go into hiding like a coward?" Before Rey realizes it, the words have slipped out, and she cannot take them back. The expression on his face is heartbreaking.

"I'm sorry," she says quickly. "I didn't mean.."

The drooping shoulders, the lowered head, the altogether desolate expression as he leaves are almost too much for her to bear. Without another word, he seeks solace in a cave on the other side of the island, the damp and the silence fitting. He studies the scratch marks lining one wall.

The young woman tries to reach out to him with her fledgling skills, but finds his mind closed, his presence shrouded in self-loathing and despair. In that moment, she feels like the little girl on Jakku, shouting for her father to come back.


	4. Chapter 4

Tentatively, she reaches out again but encounters a dense mental wall that allows only pain to seep through like water flowing through small crevices in a mountain. She is unpracticed and has only touched the mind of an enemy before, but she tries anyway to send comfort and reassurance. She waits until the sun sets, but he does not return. Not even long after the fiery glow on the calm sea fades and is replaced by the silvery threads of moonlight.

Rey curls up on the bed, finds that his scent still clings to it and tries to sleep. Finally, she can't stand the waiting. Her entire life has been waiting. And there are the lingering questions: What if he leaves or abandons her again? What if he is injured somewhere? What if she has done too much damage? When dawn comes, she rolls out of bed, picks up her staff and seeks him out. Despite all of his suffering, his presence still beckons her, warm and bright like the feeling of sun on her back. Even in his silence, he seems to be imploring her to give him solace, to find him. After climbing some stone steps and crossing a stream, she reaches the cave where he sits before a dying fire, legs crossed and head bowed, meditating. She watches him for several long minutes, not wanting to disturb him. Eventually, she places a hand on his shoulder. "Father?" Rey can feel how cold he is even through his cloak.

He raises his head at the touch and the blue eyes that regard her are wide and haunted, but beneath all that she can see that they are also kind and wise. "Rey?"

"Yes, I'm here." She crouches beside him and stirs the embers, then takes his hand in hers, warming it. "I shouldn't have said that. I'm sorry."

The Jedi Master shakes his head. "You're right to be angry. I am a failure in every sense of the word. I failed to protect my students, my family. You deserve better than a broken, exiled hermit for a father." Still, he holds hope deep in his heart that if he could forgive and love his father that somehow Rey can forgive him.

She shakes her head violently. "No. My father is a wise Jedi. A survivor."

Luke doesn't speak for a long time, and she rests her head on his shoulder in the silence. Finally, he says. "Kylo Ren was more than just my apprentice. That boy was Han and Leia's son and my nephew. I was there the day he was born."

"What happened to him? How did he fall?"

"He was always troubled, always wanted to learn faster, to be more powerful. He was drawn to the Dark Side by Snoke and he betrayed me. He led a group of warriors in an attack on the temple. Everything I had worked to restore was destroyed in a few minutes."

His daughter holds him tightly. "Not everything. I'm not going anywhere."

"You are my last hope for the Jedi, Rey. You have amazing power and light within you. If you train and learn to use that power, you could defeat Smoke and bring an end to the First Order."

She lets go of him abruptly, shaking her head. "How can I face Snoke? I'm no one. Just a scavenger."

He tips her chin up. "The Force is strong in our family, Rey. I will train you, teach you everything I can, but it is your decision. I want you to have a choice, and I promise I won't love you any less no matter what you decide." He remembers bearing the hopes of the galaxy on his shoulders and how that weight almost broke him.

She looks at him steadily, unblinking. "I want to train with you. I want to fight."

"The life of a Jedi isn't an easy path, Rey. It requires the deepest commitment. You will face trials, temptation. You may be injured in battles."

"I understand your concern. I'm not afraid." She dusts herself off and stands, offering her hand to him.

Accepting her hand, he stands. "You will be a Jedi, Rey. And one day, we will return."

They make the journey back together, and the first thing Rey does is to build a proper fire, and sit him down in front of it. "I wish you would take better care of yourself," she says. "Now that I've found you, I couldn't bear to lose you again."

"You won't." He smiles faintly, and for a moment, she glimpses the young man, the farm boy he once was, in the hopeful expression.

Rey decides to make breakfast for them, combining some of her dehydrated rations with leftover fish. Unlike the other meals they shared, she makes sure he eats today and won't let him sneak his portion onto her plate.

Once they finish eating, they climb the hill looking out over the ocean, and Luke gestures for her to sit down. She notices the slight wince when he sits opposite her and crosses his legs. "The Force is an energy field created by all living things. It surrounds us and penetrates us, binds the galaxy together. A Jedi draws their strength from the Force." Her father's face assumes a serenity she has rarely seen from him as he shares one of the first lessons from his own mentor. "When you are calm, at peace, you will feel it flowing through you and all around you. It is your strength when your own strength is failing. It will guide your actions, heighten your senses and allow you to do incredible things."

She listens quietly at first though her mind is buzzing with a thousand questions. "I felt it when I was on Takoda and again when I faced Ren. Somehow, I was able to feel him approaching and drive him out of my mind. Then, I called your lightsaber to my hand and even beat him in fight."

His eyes widen, and she thinks she sees a flash of pride. "That was the Force. You have so much potential, Rey. You are only limited by your mind."

"So, when do we start training?" Rey asks impatiently.

"You're training has already begun. Your first lesson is to clear your thoughts, stretch out with your unconscious mind." He watches as his apprentice stretches her neck, closes her eyes and concentrates.

On Jakku, Rey rarely had time to rest, and the only time she wasn't working was a short time between eating dinner and going to sleep. The concept of sitting still was completely foreign and almost made her feel guilty. The young apprentice found herself hyperaware of a slight itch on her shoulder, the discomfort of a spot where her foot rubbed against her ankle, every rustle of clothing and buzzing of an insect. Each time she would begin to think her mind was clear, a stray thought seemed to enter it, and she would have to refocus. Finally, with a frustrated growl, she stands up and paces. "I can't sit here any more. I thought you were intending to teach me how to fight."

Luke's expression is infuriatingly patient. "And I will. You must have patience. A Jedi uses the Force for defense, not for aggression. We fight only when there is no other choice. That is the difference between a Jedi and a Sith. Now, this time try to find me-not by sight or your physical senses-but by using the Force. Close your eyes."

She sighs, but complies, focusing again. She finds it is easier to sense the Force with a goal in mind. The familiar presence seems to call to her, and she locates him without great difficulty. When he praises her, she replies wryly, "I know where you are."

He laughs softly, warm and rich, and Rey realizes that it is the first time she has ever heard his laugh. "Yes, but you found me through the Force. I wanted you to start with a familiar presence before you try to sense others. This island and the waters around it are full of life. Each living thing is part of the Force, and each death diminishes it. I want you to stretch out and find some of the animals in the air, on the land, and in the sea and tell me about them."

"All right." She still feels that the exercise seems a bit pointless, but she doesn't argue as she seeks out the living things. "There are birds...on a high cliff building a nest….There's something...large..some sort of sea creature..no..two of them that are hunting."

"Good," he replies. "What else do you sense. Try to stretch out as far as the other side of the island. Remember how you found me earlier?"

"Yes, but this is different. I'd recognize your presence anywhere." She cracks open an eye and smiles.

He returns her smile. "Jedi can often recognize other Force sensitives, especially those they share deep bonds with. Each person's Force signature is different." His expression darkens a bit. "The more skill you gain, the more cautious you must be with searching for others. You can easily find a Dark Presence and alert them to your location."

She shivers, remembering her encounter with Luke's fallen apprentice. The young Sith's presence had been vile, dark, and cold. "How do I keep that from happening?"

Luke takes a deep breath. "By developing the ability to shield your presence and build mental defenses. This is not something easy to master."

Rey remembers the terror and the pain of Kylo Ren's mental intrusion, how it had left her head aching and brought tears to her eyes. She had fought back and won, but she never wanted anyone to have that power over her again. "Can you teach me?"

The old Jedi nods. "But that is a lesson for another must be patient. Now, back to the island and its residents."

Rey continued to focus on various creatures, telling Luke about their activities and the differences in their minds. When at last she opens her eyes, the sun is setting.

"Good work, Rey." Her father smiles and offers her a hand. "You should get some rest now."

As she pulls herself up, he notices the slight furrow of her brow and the shy sideways glance. "There's something you want to ask. What is it?" He gives her a small smile.

"Would-would you stay until I fall asleep?" The words tumble out before she has the chance to stop them and she presses the back of her hand over her mouth. Surely, her father will think she's far too old for such a childish request.

Instead of scoffing at her, she thinks she sees an unshed tear in his eye. Regret for the lost time, sadness, and hope seep across the tenuous connections of their bond.

"Of course," he says, nodding. "Just tell me when you're ready to sleep."

She finds him later, eyes glazed, staring into the distance. In another person, this expression might be seen as aimless daydreaming but she knows in her father's case, he is searching or focused on an important task and so she waits.

He acknowledges her with a nod and follows her into the small room, pulling a chair up to the side of the bed. He tugs he covers up and then, abashedly turns away. "Sorry. I know you're grown up now. I didn't mean..."

She tugs his sleeve and smiles. "Don't be sorry. It was perfect."

Luke sits down and watches as she settles down. Her breathing gradually evens out as she falls asleep. She wakes once, and her hand reaches out, seeking his. He takes it and holds it until she falls back asleep. Then, he carefully tucks her arm back under the blanket so she'll be warm enough. Before he leaves, he brushes her hair back and kisses her forehead, whispering, "Goodnight."


	5. Chapter 5

She stands in the shallows beside her Master, an expression of intense concentration on her face as the fourth fish swims toward the net and then abruptly turns away and returns to sea as if mocking her. "How do you do this?" She growls in frustration.

"Growing up on a desert planet I never had any exposure to fishing. I was forced to adapt the technique in order to eat." He bends and casts out his own net, woven of twisted vines. With a serene look, she watches him as he raises a hand and within mere moments, there are small stirrings of fish breaking the smooth surface of the water. They fill the net within a few seconds.

Rey can't stop her jaw from dropping at the sight. "That's enough to feed us for a long time."

"We'll release most of these and just keep what we need. Do you want to try again?" He offers her a reassuring smile.

"I don't know. I'm not very good at this." She shakes her head.

"You're doing fine," he says. "Try again. You caught their attention. Now you just need to make the suggestion and draw them in."

"All right." She purses her lips before she closes her eyes. She stretches out and finds a school of fish through the Force. They seem to be ignoring her suggestion that there is a source of food near the shore and instead making them head in the opposite direction. Suddenly, there is a flash of interest from one and then another in and soon they start to divert their path toward the shore.

Luke interjects with a hand on her shoulder, "That's it. Now, concentrate just a bit more...don't lose focus. They're almost in the nets."

She opens her eyes and sees that the two fish have made it into the nets. Quickly, she closes it and lets out a deep breath.

"You did it, Rey." He squeezes her shoulder with a proud smile.

"I've heard about parents taking their children fishing but never like this." Rey laughs and a smile lights up her face.

"This family has never been typical. " He shrugs in a self-deprecatory manner and she places a hand on his cheek before he can turn his face away, already seeing shame starting to creep into his expression.

"Hey. I like it. There's no one I'd rather do this with." She bends to haul her catch up to shore and stumbles a bit with a sudden look of terror.

Luke catches and steadies her. "Rey, it's all right. I've got you. What's wrong?"

"Nothing, it's just that..nevermind." She bites her lip, studying the net.

He notices that she is quick to get to higher ground and senses what's troubling her. "Forgive me. I was thoughtless. You can't swim.."

She shakes her head. "No. Water was so precious on Jakku there was hardly enough for drinking and bathing. When I was little, I thought the entire galaxy must be just one big desert."

"I thought the same thing. If you want to learn, I could teach you."

"Shouldn't we be focusing on my Jedi training?" She raises an eyebrow.

He grins and just for an instant she catches a glint of the mischievous farmboy he had once been.

"Who says we can't do both?"

They make breakfast together and he tells her about Han and Leia, about flying his X-wing and his first days as a Jedi master. She's amazed that he seems to remember every student he ever taught. Everything from their quirks to the way they laughed, to what they excelled in or struggled with. When Rey asks him how he can remember so much, Luke replies. "I hold them in my heart forever and I try to honor them."

"You do," she says, "I can't imagine you ever being anything but honorable." He clears his throat, averts his eyes, and mumbles that they shouldn't wait too long to swim. She fears the words intended to bolster him will cause him to descend into sadness and self-loathing again, so she gets up, smiles and pulls him along to the water's edge.

Rey has climbed through the innards of crumbling wreckages, survived through terrible sandstorms and battled a Sith, yet when she stands on the shore and stares out at the vast sea, she feels insignificant and uncertain.

Sensing her disquiet, Luke turns his head and smiles. "It makes you feel small. The sound is like listening to the heartbeat of the planet."

Rey watches him as he closes his eyes, breathes in the salty air, and listens to the sound. "I'm not sure. What do I do?" she asks.

Her mentor sheds his outer cloak and removes his boots, then wades just a couple of steps into the shallows of the small cove, and turns holding out his hand to her. "Just step in when you're ready. I'll be right beside you. I promise."

She removes her own boots and sleeveless jacket, and then steps forward, at first wincing at the cool sensation. "It's colder than I thought."

"It's not so bad once you get used to it." He laughs gently, waiting for her to move forward.

Taking a deep breath, she steps into the water again, moving up to her ankles. Once the shock of the cold passes, she finds that the sensation is rather pleasant, though she still clings to her father's hand. "This might take a few lessons…" She wrinkles her brow.

"You can do this, Rey. The first step is to learn to float."

She regards him with skepticism. She can't imagine how useful it would be to simply lie in the water on her back, but she doesn't argue. "How do I do that?"

"Just lie back in the water. I promise I've got you and I won't let go." One of his arms rests against her back, steadying her as she leans back in the water. His other hand rests lightly underneath her calves. Though she has an instant of silent panic as the water enters her ears and dulls her hearing, once she looks up at Luke, she relaxes and begins to feel safe. A sense of peace comes over Rey at the feeling of weightlessness. She's being held in her father's arms, and the feeling of comfort is something she's been waiting for almost her entire life.

Luke closes his eyes and removes the arm supporting Rey's legs. "Close your eyes and feel the Force flowing through you, surrounding you. When you are calm, at peace, this is when you will be able to sense it the most."

Rey startles for a moment, realizing that the voice is speaking directly in her mind. She sends an answer. "I feel it." She stretches out, sensing the life in the ocean and on the land. Her father's presence is like a sun diminishing everything around it. With a pang of sadness, she feels how the energy that resonates through his body stops abruptly at the beginning of his artificial limb.

The mental voice answers with gentle amusement. "Try not to get distracted. Extend your senses. I'm right here but I'm going to let you go now."

Rey gulps, forcing herself to breathe and silences her fears of sinking into the great abyss, drowning in the dark depths. "All right," she replies. Then, she feels the slight shift in the water next to her and realizes Luke is floating beside her.

They enjoy a few moments of tranquility before Luke speaks, "Try and stir the water, direct the currents to carry you towards the shore."

Rey stretches out, brow furrowed in concentration. Just when she is ready to give up, she manages a slight ripple. She cracks an eye open. "Well, that was disappointing."

"Don't say that. That was very good. Just focus a little more." She can hear the reassurance, the pride that she feels is undeserved in his voice.

Taking a deep breath, Rey tries again and manages a small wave that pushes them both towards the shore. Struck by a sudden playful urge, she stirs up another wave that drenches her master. As he rights himself, stands up and looks at her with crossed arms, she feels a sudden sense of guilt as she stands and moves towards shore. "I..I'm sorry, Father."

She feels less sorry when a very large Force-assisted wave strikes her back. As they find themselves making up for lost time, splashing in the shallows, the war seems very far away.


End file.
